PUPILS as young as three will be given lessons on how to respond to environmental disasters in an attempt to counter the growing impact of climate change, the Spanish government has announced.
The plan comes following a twelve-month period overshadowed by a mass of forest fires across the countryside and the torrential DANA storm in Valencia that claimed the lives of more than 220 people – highlighting the very real impact of climate change in Spain.
Under the scheme, children of all ages will be taught how to respond to disasters, including floods, wildfires, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
The aim, according to the education ministry, is to provide pupils with ‘the necessary knowledge, skills, attitudes and values needed to deal with emergency situations in a safe and effective way’.
The compulsory training will benefit over 8 million children in 25,000 schools, with information delivered using videos, infographics and other media.
As well as natural disasters, the induction will cover chemical, industrial and nuclear accidents.
Infant and primary school pupils will be given a minimum of two hours training, with older children receiving at least four hours.
In a statement, the education ministry said: “ Infant school children aged three, four and five, will learn to recognise an alarm and how to spot the first signs of danger, as well as basic safety principles.
“Older children will learn to seek out high ground in a flood and to shelter under a desk if the earth starts to shake.”
It said students would also be taught about ‘the differences between information and disinformation in emergency situations’.
Unveiling the project, prime minister Pedro Sanchez said the lessons formed one part of a ten-point plan to protect the country from climate change.
“Let’s leave ideological issues to one side and let’s listen to reason, science and common sense,” he said.
A recent study revealed over 62,000 people in Europe were killed by extreme heat last summer – with Spain recording the second highest death toll across the continent.
In total, Spain registered 6,743 heat-related deaths, although the figure is lower than both the summers of 2022 and 2023.
But the downward trend may not last for long. This August, 2,177 people died from heat-related causes – a 71.3% increase from the same month last year.
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